Reality of Loss and Success – Jumuah Khutbah by Sheykh Abu Adnan

Jumuah Khutba given by: Sheykh Abu Adnan Mohammad

Reality_of_Loss_and_Success_AbuAdnan

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To proceed….

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam !

We said previously in a previous khutbah that the actions in this Dunya reflect on the realities of reward and punishment accordingly on the day of judgement. We gave the example of hawd (cistern) of prophet saws. We said if you follow Prophet saws’ Sunnah, you’re going to get the drink from the hand of Prophet saws and will enter Jannah and if you reject his Sunnah or nullify his Sunnah, you will be turned away from this hawd (cistern) on the day of judgement.

Today I am going to talk about another station from the station from the day of judgement, which is Al-Meezan, the Scale and from the articles of faith and the creed of Ahlul Sunnah there is literally a Scale, an unknown but what we know that it is a ‘Scale’,  which has two hands and our deeds are going to be weighed on this scale. Allah swt said to the meaning:

So the ones whom scale succeeds, will enter Jannah and whom whose scale is empty is going to enter fire, that is he is in LOSS. Allah swt made it clear in the Quran about the actions which remove the state of loss from yourself because this loser, the true loser is the one who will loose himself and his family on the day of judgement.

Allah swt gave you a scale to measure yourself  in one of the smallest Surah in the Qur’an. He showed you the reality of loss and success in the Qur’an. One of our concepts that we need to correct is who is the true loser and who is the true winner. We get consumed in the world in whatever things we do and we forget all of that will not be accounted in our deeds because the Surah gave you different scale altogether. This scale concept need to be corrected in our minds. Some of us believe that the success is to have a beautiful house, or a beautiful car or a high income generating profitable business and all of the worldly luxuries. Don’t misunderstand my message, there is nothing wrong in working hard to gain resources to live independently and being successful but this is not that scale by which Allah swt will measure you on the day of judgement. Allah swt will not measure you whether you had a Ph.D or a Masters degree or some specialization in your field of Science or Arts, Allah swt will measure what did you do with this degree after Allah swt gave it to you; Did you use it against Islam or For Islam. That’s what you will be asked about.

I want to bring you back to the reality of this Meezaan, the scale that Allah swt has put as an study in Qur’an in this small Surah that we all know it, that is Surah Al-Asr. However, i want to give you a different perspective of this Surah today in this Jumuah Khutbah.

When Allah swt says:

وَالْعَصْرِإِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ

“Indeed all mankind is in state of Loss”. The Ayah starts with the oath Allah swt takes “By time“. i.e. the time that is the element you have to gain success or loss. That’s why our prophet (saws) indicated this in an authentic hadeeth (to the meaning) that many people are cheated in their trade, means they do not trade properly in two things: Good health and free time, to show you that time is very important in the life of a Muslim because this is the element that brings you loss and gain, and once you die there is no more loss or gain as the time for you has finished in this life.

So as Allah swt said “Al-Insaan” and scholars of Lughat (language) said that this is “The Humans” means ALL THE HUMANS on this face of earth, the ones who have passed away, the ones who are living at the moment and the Ones who will come until the day of judgement. So all of the mankind are loosers! Someone may ask “…this implies that someone who has a beautiful house and in nice summer days he goes on to a 45 – 50 feet boat in water with all the luxuries inside it with a Chauffeur driving it for him, he is in state of loss?” Answer is “Yes he is the biggest looser.” He further asks “What about this poor man on the street, is he also looser?” Answer will be “Yes he is the looser”. One would inquire how come that be, this poor person is a looser here in this world as i see him in this poor condition, and then you are terming him as a looser on the day of judgement as well, then Yes he is the looser because the measurement is according to what Allah weighs and not you. It’s Allah’s scale not Yours scale.

And this happened with Ibn Hajar (May Allah have mercy upon him) who was a great scholar, a very wealthy man and who was a judge of the judges (Qaadi of Qudaat). A Yahoodi looking at his condition said to him:

“Yaa imam, your prophet (Muhammad) said that this World is a prison for the Believer (Muslim) and is a paradise for a Non-Believer (Kaafir). You are in this World living as if in you’re in Paradise (referring to the luxuries Imam had) and I am in a Jail (referring to his own condition of poverty) such that i can’t even afford a one time food. How does that work?

Now look at the Ulema who understood the Meezan properly, Ibn Hajar Asqalani RA said

That Yahoodi exclaimed “I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship and Muhammad is the last messenger and servant of Allah”. These are the Imams who understood the Scale properly.

So Allah swt said to the man, you’re in state of loss all of you. So Insaan asks ya Allah how to remove this state of loss, Allah says “Those who believe and do righteous deeds, and enjoin good and have patience”, giving the specification of the exception out of this Majority of Insaan, the mankind. And the logical answer is also that exceptions are always in minority, as compared to the general Majority. Here Allah swt has given characteristics of this excepted group. As we see majority of the mankind will always be in the state of loss. And Allah taught you the method to remove this loss from yourself. And once you follow these four guidelines, you are going to be among this exception, the minority and if you think that by your inclusion in this minority, you’re going to become majority one day then you’re wrong. As Prophet (saws) made it clear, he said day of judgement won’t come until Romans will be in majority on this earth. so you will always be in minority, even among your Muslim Ummah as unfortunately most of us do not follow the Islam properly. You will always feel you’re a stranger or a minority among this big majority that are losers. Why? Because to adhere to these 4 points or guidelines is not an easy task. But the more you adhere, the less your loss will become. The more you work towards following these guidelines, the less your loss will be.

Books are written about this Surah and one Jumuah Khutbah of 20 to 25 minutes is not enough to justify this topic, but i would like you to just reflect today with me on the concept of this Loss and what i am doing currently to remove this loss from my life and from my children’s lives. If you analyse yourself that you have so much time to spend out every week by going out here and there, and one week after week, picnic and all major social activities and you think you have a lot of time in your hand, then this is Loss. I am not saying you to worship day and night, but there is so much you can do that is beneficial.

Now let’s talk about “And those who believe (Eeman).” What does Eeman mean? Uleme of Ahlul Sunnah, all of them with no disagreement said Emaan is Qawl wa Amal (Sayings and Actions). Meaning the belief in the heart, actions of the heart like reliance on Allah, loving Allah swt, hope in Allah and so on and so forth, and testimony by the Tongue and Action of the limbs (like Salah, recitation of the Qur’an, Hajj etc). It is impossible for someone to say that “I am a Mu’min” and he does not pray, does not fast, does not pay Zakat, and does not do anything, you see him on Friday coming for Jumuah, and then his face does not show up in the masjid until next Friday. This is a “Mu’min on Fridays”. “One hour Mu’min”. Alas ! Is this that Emaan that requires you to do this?

I want you to imagine this parable with me. Imagine you and me going to meet Sayyadna Muhammad Sallallahu alehe Wassalam. We say YA Rasoolllah !! YA HabibAllah, Yaa Sayyadul Mursileen !! By Allah, we bear witness that you’re the last messenger of Allah and we love you from every drop of our blood. But…You ordered me to pray, i am not going to pray. You ordered me to pay Zakat, i am not going to pay Zakat. You ordered me to fast i am not going to fast in Ramadan. You ordered me to do Hajj once in a lifetime, I am too busy i can’t do Hajj. You ordered me to not to cheat, sometimes I do. You ordered us not to do Zina (fornication), ehmm sometimes i do, the girls are with us, and we are young, not easy for us to avoid temptation. And yes Ya Rassol Allah i don’t leave any Friday Salah, i sit here in the Masjid and i give this 5 Dollars (as donation) on the way out. What Rasool Allah (saws) would tell you? Would you have actually the strength to say all this in front of Messenger of Allah saws? Then how you’re going to stand and say all this in front of Allah swt on the day of judgement?

So Qur’an says to remove this Loss by true Eeman, doing good deeds, righteous actions and what are these good deeds? The Good deeds that Omar Radiallah Anhu defined for us  is the deeds done: a) According to Sunnah and b) With Sincerity to Allah swt. Every thing that Allah swt ordered you and His noble messenger (saws) is ‘Amal As-Salih (Good deeds) if you do it for Allah. Everything He swt and His messenger (saws) asked you to refrain from, not doing it is ‘Amal Salih if you refrain from it for Allah.

Ok Is this enough ya Rab? No there is MORE ‘Aml Salih you need to do. What is that ya Rab? how can i be successful? Allah swt said “Those who enjoin good“. So now you have to do more, talk to your family, your children, your parent, your near relatives, your far relatives, your close community, your close or far tribesmen, and then go out to the outer community, call them for Allah, call them for Haq, call them for Islam. Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, call them to Islam with your actions. Then one might say But our family gets upset when we do their Dawah, they get angry, they say to me ‘you are mashaAllah a Maulana, an extreme, a Radical’, so its not easy as people mock me’. Yes! that’s why Allah swt gave you the last guideline to have PATIENCE: “..And those who do Sabr” if you like to remove this loss from your life. So you’ve to have Patience once you follow these guidelines. And Ulema have spoken about this patience that it has two levels.

1) Patience to do worship (Ibadah)

2) Patience to remain on Truth (Haq)

Its definitely not easy to come consistently for Fajr Salah every morning especially in Winter, not an easy task! its hard work. All of this for every Salah in the Masjid, fasting month of Ramadan, speaking Truth (Haq) is not an easy job, its hardship. But Allah swt want you to do it, and He knows you can do it otherwise He would not make it Obligatory upon you. And that is also the interpretation of the Ayah “And Allah swt does not burden the soul beyond which it cannot bear“. Means all the obligations Allah swt enjoined upon you is all what you can do it unless you can’t do it, meaning you can’t stand in the Salah because you’re crippled, or you have a very bad backache. That’s what this complimentary ayah presented by me means, does not mean you feel a general hardship towards fulfilling obligations so you abandon it assuming the wrong interpretation of this Ayah. Allah is Al-Hakeem, the most wise, He will not order you for something which you cannot do.

And also Sabr on Amar bil maruf. When you ask your son to pray, he does not listen to you. you Ask your daughter or sister to do Hijaab, she won’t listen to you or disrespect you. You speak Haq, they put you on newspaper. All this needs Patience. And this is how you remove all this Loss from yourself. You need to implement these four parameters of success to the best of your ability in your life. And the more you do the less loss you have. and the more you neglect, the more loss you have. And if you have these four characteristics, equal to as small as a mustard seed, it will remove the loss from you as small as a mustard seed, that’s the equation in front of you. So if you have these good deeds, on the day of judgement your scale will be heavy and you will enter Jannah.

My brothers this sisters, this is a reminder for all of us. Allah swt’s words are Haq, He swt never breaks his Promise, He honors his promise and what’s going to happen is going to happen, and no one can deny the existence of Scale on that day, so weigh your deeds today before your deeds are weighed for you on the day of judgement.